The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River is slated to open early next year.

Credit (New Mississippi River Bridge Project Facebook page)

As part of St. Louis Public Radio's series of reports on the region's aging infrastructure called "How We Move," Julie Bierach spoke with Jerry Blair with the East-West Gateway Council about how the $667 million bridge will impact travel in the St. Louis region.

President Barack Obama has signed legislation designating the new Interstate 70 bridge connecting St. Louis and southwestern Illinois over the Mississippi River as the "Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge."

The name is a compromise between Missouri lawmakers who wanted to honor the late St. Louis Cardinals great and Illinois lawmakers who wanted to name the bridge in honor of military veterans.